These cupcakes with hearts in the middle are perfect for Valentine’s Day! They are made with moist white cake batter and red velvet cake hearts and are topped with rich, creamy buttercream frosting!
These cupcakes with hearts in the middle are so perfect for Valentine’s Day! They feature a moist white cake batter, red velvet cake hearts and topped with creamy homemade buttercream frosting.
You’ll love making and eating these cupcakes. Your favorite part though might just be watching people discover the heart shapes in the middles!
If you’d like to try another cupcake with a surprise in the middle, make my luscious Strawberry Filled Cupcakes! For more heart shaped treats, try these sweet Frosted Sugar Cookies.
Making cupcakes with hearts inside is easy but just requires a few extra steps. The extra steps are:
- Making red velvet cake.
- Cutting hearts out.
- Tucking the hearts inside the cupcake batter.
USE TWO BATTERS
You’ll need two cake batters of contrasting colors to make these cupcakes. I’m including my white cake recipe for the cupcakes below.
For the hearts, I used a recipe for red velvet cake. Feel free to use your favorite recipe for red velvet or take a short cut and use a boxed cake mix.
FROSTING AND DECORATING YOUR HEART CUPCAKES
My buttercream is the perfect sweet, rich topping for these these tender cupcakes. I love the pretty white color, but you can also add food coloring to it to get your desired color.
To keep the decorating simple and sweet, I scoop the frosting on using an ice cream scoop and simply top it with leftover red velvet crumbs. They have a simple, modern look to them and which happens to be super easy to create!
If you like, you can pipe the frosting on using your favorite tip and add any candy hearts or sprinkles!
ABOUT THE HEARTS INSIDE
Once you have your heart cake batter made, let it cool completely before cutting out the hearts.
As far as what size cookie cutter to use, I recommend a standard heart shaped cookie cutter. This would be about 3 inches wide. A smaller 2 inch cookie cutter would work as well.
I haven’t made these with anything smaller than a 2 inch cookie cutter or anything larger than a 3 inch cookie cutter.
I recommend using a cookie cutter that is about 1 inch. If you use one that’s thinner than one inch, you’re not as likely to see the hearts on both halves of the cupcake when you cut into it.
To ensure that you cut into the hearts in the right direction, use a pen or a marker to place a tiny line at the fronts of your cupcake liners. This will help you know where to cut into the hearts. I also place all my hearts in the same direction. This makes it easier to find that little mark on the cupcake liner after they bake.
HOW TO MAKE CUPCAKES WITH HEARTS IN THE MIDDLE
- Start by making your hearts. Make the cake flavor and recipe of your choice (from scratch or boxed). I like to cook mine for the minimum baking time. You definitely don’t want to overcook them.
- Set the cake aside and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, cut out the hearts.
- Next, line your cupcake tin with liners. Use a marker to make a little mark at the front of each cupcake liner. This will help you know which direction the hearts are facing.
- Make the white cupcake batter and fill each cup about 1/3 full. Place a heart inside each cupcake making sure the hearts are standing upright and touching the bottom. Carefully spoon a extra batter around the hearts. The tops will be peaking out before and after they bake. That’s fine because they’ll get covered with frosting!
- Bake the cupcakes for 10-12 minutes then transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
- Prepare the buttercream frosting. Once the cupcakes are cooled, use an ice cream scoop and top each cupcake with a “scoop” of frosting. Top with red velvet cake crumbs.
These cupcakes with hearts in the middle are SO FUN to make and eat! You can tell people what’s inside beforehand, but I find it fun to tell them where to cut and to see their reactions to the surprise heart inside!
FOR MORE VALENTINE’S/CUPCAKE RECIPES, TRY MY:
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Cupcakes with Hearts in the Middle
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: About 12 cupcakes
- Category: Baking, Cupcakes, Desserts, Valentines
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cupcakes with hearts in the middle are super sweet and cute! Made with a moist white cake and red velvet heart, these cupcakes are topped with a rich buttercream frosting. Fun to make and eat!
Ingredients
FOR THE HEARTS
- One 9 by 13 inch red velvet cake (use a from scratch recipe or a cake mix)
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
FOR THE HEARTS
- Make a 9 by 13 inch* red velvet cake (use a from scratch recipe or boxed cake mix). Allow cake to cool completely.
- Once cooled, use a 1-inch thick heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts (I recommend a cookie cutter that is 1-inch thick and that is around 2 to 3 inches wide)*. Set the hearts aside while preparing the cupcake batter.
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners. Use a marker to make a small dot at the fronts of your cupcakes so that you will know which direction the hearts are facing once baked and frosted.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand held mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla followed by the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients alternatively with the milk, scraping down the sides as you go.
- Fill the cupcake tins at least 1/3 of the way with the cupcake batter. Place the hearts in the middle, making sure the bottoms are touching the bottom of the tin. Gently spoon additional batter around the top part of each heart. (The hearts will be still be sticking out on top before and after baking).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Begin checking the cupcakes at 10 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from the tin and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- Beat the butter and vanilla until it’s creamy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar followed by the milk, vanilla and salt. Turn the speed up to medium and beat until smooth and fluffy.
DECORATING THE CUPCAKES
- Use an ice cream scoop to top each cupcake with a scoop of frosting. Break up some crumbs from the leftover heart batter and sprinkle them on top of the frosting. You might have to lightly press some into the sides if they don’t naturally stick.
Notes
*You could also make red velvet cake in nine inch cake pans or in a quarter sheet pan. If you use a smaller pan and find that your cake is thick, use your cookie cutter to cut the heart shape then trim the hearts if they are thicker than 1 inch.
**Your hearts will likely stick out of the batter if you use a standard 3 inch cookie cutter like what I used in the photos. This is fine as the white cake batter will bake around the hearts. If the hearts are still visible once the cupcakes are baked, that’s also fine since the frosting will cover them up!
Keywords: cupcakes, valentines, white cake, vanilla buttercream, heart shape, heart inside
A Valentine’s Day Delight!
★★★★★
Absolutely!
Delicious and so perfect for Valentine’s Day! I made my hearts on the smaller side with a 1-inch heart cookie cutter (recommend cutting on the up side of the cake and not the harder base) so I also left them a bit thicker just so that that could be well placed and keep their shape in the muffin cup. Once they baked I made a small score in the cupcake itself on both sides to remember which way I should cut before frosting. The frosting is divine by the way. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for making these cupcakes Ana! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂 Great tips about cutting them on the soft side and making a score in the cupcake itself! I will be sure to add that useful info to the recipe post! XO Natalie